


Baptism Of Fire

by MadAndy



Category: Gamma Ray
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-29
Updated: 2016-02-29
Packaged: 2018-05-24 00:53:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6135821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadAndy/pseuds/MadAndy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He'd heard the phrase 'baptism of fire' a few times, but it was only now that he really, truly understood what it meant.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Baptism Of Fire

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Although this tale features characters that share an awful lot of characteristics with the individuals who go to make up the featured rock band, it isn't them. I'm fully aware of that fact; they're completely their own people, and this is a fantasy based on their stage personas, interviews and other material in the public domain. No malice or impeachment is intended to the band, their families, friends, management companies or anyone else involved with them in any way, shape or form. No money is being made from this tale, it's written purely for the enjoyment of the author...and her readers. 
> 
> It's fiction. Enjoy it as such.
> 
> (Written in 2007)
> 
> By the way, for anyone wondering who this young man is—Kasperi and Eero both play in a Finnish Gamma Ray tribute band called Guardians Of Mankind. That's how the band got to know Eero, and (presumably) Kasperi.

He'd heard the phrase 'baptism of fire' a few times, but it was only now that he really, truly understood what it meant.

Two weeks ago. Two weeks ago he'd been sitting at home, as jealous as hell that his bandmate had been asked to go play keyboards for Gamma Ray - sure, he did it well, or he wouldn't have picked him for his own band, would he? He had to be able to play the stuff and play it note perfect - because they might be 'just' a tribute band but fuck, they wanted to be the best.

And they were the best. Even if it was mostly their own voices saying so.

Still, they can't have been too bad - because Eero had got the call, and there he was on tour. With the Rays.

Leaving the rest of the band - but most especially him - sitting at home chewing on their own livers with the general unfairness of it. 

Then _he'd_ got the call. Henjo had fallen down some stairs and broken his arm so they were short a guitarist. Eero had played them some tapes and he was good, so...fancy coming for an audition?

He'd never bought a plane ticket so fast in his life. 

Ever since that moment things had swept him along, carrying him as though borne by a dream. Auditioning - done deal as it had been, according to Eero - rehearsing, getting the feel of playing alongside his heroes--

And then tonight. 

His first gig with the band. Henjo had even called him to wish him luck, a generous gesture he most certainly hadn't expected; everyone had been full of good wishes, patted him on the back before they went out. Kai's wink and 'you'll be fine' had made him feel so happy he could burst.

It had been hard. Shit, so hard. And he'd just be settling into something and Dirk or Kai or even Dan would catch his eye and he would think _shit, I'm on stage with Gamma Ray!_ and almost lose it. He'd fix his gaze on Eero (who he was used to seeing on stage, of course), concentrate on his fingers and the music and--

It had been fine.

Even so. Here he was, post gig, post encore, post shower, just drooped on a bench in the dressing room with his head hanging down and his hands loose between his knees, too wiped to even get out of the towel and get dressed.

A hand patted him on the shoulder, and he looked up into Dirk's face. He gave him a wink, clapped him on the shoulder.

“Come on, kid. There's hands to shake out there and then we got to get to the hotel - early start tomorrow.”

“We're not travelling overnight?”

Dan's bark of laughter wasn't unkind. “You can tell he's new at this, can't you? Wanting to get straight on the bus instead of spending a night in a real bed.”

Dirk's snort of agreement was lost in the shirt he was pulling over his head. Eero - already dressed - came over and gave him another nudge.

“Come on. The fans want to see you, too.”

“Me?”

Shaking his head, Dirk left the dressing room with his bag slung over his shoulder. Eero sat next to his friend, and bumped his shoulder against him.

“Yeah, you. They want to meet the hot guitarist who gave 'em such a show tonight.”

Kasperi just stared at him for a moment, then shook his head and rose to get dressed. He had to be kidding - didn't he?

~*~

Apparently not.

Whilst the few fans waiting out in the freezing cold weren't exactly screaming hordes they greeted him with a cheer, nudged up next to him for pictures and got to him to sign things. The rest of the band appeared to get a huge kick out of watching him dispute with a girl that no, she really didn't want him to sign her copy of Majestic; she listened to his argument, cocked an eyebrow at him and asked if he had, indeed, been playing guitar up on that stage tonight.

He had to admit that yes, it was him.

“Then you're part of the band,” she told him firmly, “and I want you to sign this for me.”

He got a round of applause when he did so, which made him blush.

All too soon the tour manager was chivvying them onto the bus, handing out room assignments and telling them when to meet up for departure in the morning. Kasperi listened with half an ear, head still reeling from the whole dreamlike, unbelievable experience. He wasn't just touring with a band, he was touring with - and therefore, by default, a part of - _Gamma Ray_.

He was still in the same disbelieving headspace when they collected their keys.

“You're with me, kid,” grinned Kai, “change of plan.” 

He blinked at him.

He? Rooming with...?

Nah.

What was a little more disconcerting, however, was the way that Eero's face fell when he heard Kai say that. Kasperi knew they'd been expecting to room together, but surely his friend wasn't jealous?

Even more disturbing was the way Dirk rolled his eyes, cocked both eyebrows at Dan before he collected his key and headed for the lifts, shaking his head. Dan just patted Kasperi on the shoulder and dropped him a wink before collecting the young keyboardist and heading to wait for a lift with Dirk.

They exchanged a few words, both glanced over at him - with some sympathy - and got in the lift when the soft chime announced its arrival. Kasperi stared after them for a moment, then turned to ask Kai what the fuck was happening.

The smile on his face stopped the words in his throat, however. There was something faintly...predatory about it. Disturbingly so, in fact.

And it didn't change, not all the way up in the lift, not as they wandered along the endless dullness of the beige corridors counting off numbers until they found their room, not when they got in and dumped their bags at the foot of the bed.

Bed.

Singular.

He counted the number of places to sleep, subtracted the floor, then did it again just in case he'd miscounted. Nope. Still the same.

Bed.

One of.

He turned to face Kai, who was leaning on the desk and smirking at him. 

“Um. There's only one bed.”

Kai's smirk widened into a grin.

“It's a big one. I wouldn't think you take up much room, slender thing like you.”

Alarm bells started to go off in Kasperi's head. He took a deep breath, told himself that as he was clearly dreaming he had nothing to be afraid of, looked Kai straight in the eye and spoke.

“I'm not...that way inclined, you know. I don't...do...guys.”

Kai laughed, and his heart sank. It was a merry sound, and it was the laugh of one who's just been told a really, really good joke. Or something so obviously ridiculous that it was funny.

“You want to be a part of Gamma Ray?”

“Well, yeah.”

“Then tonight... you do.”

~*~

Kasperi sat on the lid of the toilet, head in his hands, and wondered what the fuck he should do next. After Kai's flat statement in the room he'd babbled something about needing to use the bathroom - he couldn't even remember which language he'd used - and bolted.

Coherence stayed just out of range, and before he could make any appreciable headway on catching up with it Kai was banging on the door.

“Hey! You're not the only one has to piss, you know.”

He sighed, took a last look at his face in the mirror, and opened the door. Kai all but hauled him out, not bothering to shut the door as he relieved himself.

Kasperi went and sat on the bed, hands folded in his lap, quietly waiting for whatever was going to come next.

“Look,” said Kai, making him jump - he hadn't heard him come out of the bathroom, let alone cross the room, “it works like this. Join the band - even temporarily - get fucked. It's the way it works.”

He twisted around on the bed, stared into Kai's serious expression. “Why?”

“Because it is. See, it's like this - I saw you being nervous out there. We all did. Tell me - how are you going to carry on being nervous after we've fucked? No secrets then. Plus? I like it. And I’m in charge.”

There was a pause.

“And...if I say no?”

The bed creaked as Kai made himself comfortable, and Kasperi knew from the sounds behind him that Kai was undressing.

“We start looking for a new guitarist. Didn't work out, so sad, too bad, bye bye.”

_They say it's not what you know, but who you know._

_Eero's already been asked to do the Freedom Call tour when this one's over._

_What if someone asks him if he knows a good guitarist...?_

“And you've done this to...?”

“Everyone.”

“Right. _Everyone_ everyone?”

“Yup.”

“Dirk? Dan? Henjo?” Kasperi wet his lips. “Eero?”

“ _Hell_ yeah.”

He turned, stared at Kai for a moment, thoughts still whizzing around his head. This was his big chance; could he afford to screw it up? Was his inexperience and - let’s face it - prudishness going to trip him at this last, final fence?

Kai watched him, eyebrows raised.

_...and it's only once, right?_

“OK.”

The grin that split Kai's face was so bright and infectious even Kasperi smiled back. Before he had chance to change his mind he rose, undressed as quick as he could, and lay on his back. Kai snorted.

“Don't look so worried.”

Closing his eyes, he drew in a big breath through his nose and let it out slowly between his lips. That was what you were supposed to do when you were nervous, right? Deep, slow breaths.

It seemed to work. His heart was slowing down, the fear beginning to recede.

A sense of someone close by, breath ghosting over his cheek.

Lips touched his own.

“Relax,” they murmured, shaped the words against his mouth.

He couldn't kiss back, not yet. But the lips didn't seem to mind; they spent a little longer against his mouth then moved across his cheek, nibbled on his ear, the swipe of a warm tongue across that place that makes you shiver.

_Nice._

So when they wound their slow, steady way back, he decided to try something. He kissed back.

The lips curved into a smile, he could feel that. Thin, warm lips, soft; the stubble that rasped against his cheek when Kai deepened the kiss didn’t feel that bad, not really. Not as bad as he would have imagined, anyway - because the kiss was getting so deep and heated that he could almost forget who he was kissing. Almost.

A hand skated across his chest, palm flat to press against the point of his nipples, the fingers curved naturally against his skin. His heart had sped up again, and the chuckle was warm.

“Really, it’s not so bad....”

Kasperi blinked back tears, and let it happen.

~*~

When he woke up he wondered why he had a hangover.

Well. It wasn’t a proper hangover; he had a headache and his muscles ached, and when he moved his ass reminded him with a howl just why he was so damn sore.

Oh yeah.

Kai.

That would be Kai curled into his back, the arm - solid with muscle, nothing like a woman’s arm - slung over his waist. He stared down at it, the pale skin and freckles and gingery-blonde hair against the white skin of his stomach. And below it, the soft trail of darker hair that led down to his cock, laid flaccid and pale against his skin.

Kai had sucked him off, after he’d done, after he’d come inside him with a soft grunt of pleasure then rolled over with a satisfied sigh. Lit a cigarette, laid there and smoked it while the boy had got his breath back and stumbled to the bathroom to clean up. 

Then he’d been gentle, and his mouth was such a talent it was no surprise that he’d come with a yelp of - almost - shock that he could have an orgasm toe-curling in its intensity after what he’d been through. After being fucked.

He slipped out of bed, and the other man turned over, muttered something incomprehensible into his pillow before falling asleep again. He made it to the shower, locked the door behind him, and was under the hot water before the full impact of what had happened the night before slammed into him, a solid crunch of intensity straight into his midriff.

Kasperi dropped to his knees, curled up under the sharp heat of the needles of spray, and buried his head in his hands.

Words from the night before swirled around his head.

_I like it. And I’m in charge._

_Don't look so worried._

_You want to be a part of Gamma Ray?_

_Really, it’s not so bad...._

By the time he emerged back into the bedroom he had repaired the worst of the ravages of the night before, and wished Kai a cheerful good morning as he sat on the edge of the bed, naked and scratching his balls. A cigarette hung from the corner of his mouth, and he looked tired. He cocked a thin red eyebrow and watched the young man with some surprise.

“You OK?” he asked, and Kasperi cocked his head at him, continued to brush out his hair.

“Sure. Shouldn’t I be?”

The smile that flickered across Kai’s face was wry, but seemed to be genuine enough.

“You’ve got balls, kid. I’ll give you that.”

The hairbrush paused in its repetitive sweep, and Kasperi eyed the reflection of Kai’s back in the mirror.

“Um. Does everyone... I mean, who knows about this,” and he hunted for the right word while Kai wandered across the room to the bathroom, “ritual?”

“Just the band,” came the reply, and with that Kai pushed the door closed and began to make morning-noises from the depths of the elegantly tiled bathroom. Kasperi stared for a second, then sighed. Well. Best he go and get breakfast - although his stomach gave a small lurch at the thought - or else someone might suspect that there was something... wrong.

And that would never do.

Kasperi took the stairs two at a time, and by the time he emerged into the restaurant to greet the others - Eero’s eyes shadowed with worry - you would never have realised that all he wanted to do was go home.

_~Finis~_


End file.
